Revealed: Numbers of patients missing appointments at Cambridgeshire hospitals on the rise

Patients at Cambridgeshire hospitals are missing as many as one in 14 appointments last year, new figures have revealed. (Image: iStock)

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Patients at Cambridgeshire hospitals missed as many as one in 14 appointments last year, new figures have revealed.

At Papworth Hospital, patients did not attend 7.3 per cent of first appointments in the year to September 2016, or 961 missed appointments, up from 6.6 per cent in the year to September 2015.

The trust also saw 9.3 per cent of subsequent appointments missed, or 7,159. The number of missed appointments at the trust has jumped by five per cent in a year, and is 153 per cent higher than in the year to September 2010.

Meanwhile, Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) saw 4.4 per cent of first appointments missed or 6,538, as well as 6.5 per cent of subsequent appointments, or 24,810.

This compared to 4.8 per cent or 6,299 first appointments missed in 2014/15 and 5.9 per cent of subsequent appointments, or 20,649.

In the year to September, patients across Cambridgeshire missed 9,869 first appointments, as well as 35,682 follow-up appointments.

"We send out a telephone reminder message seven days prior to a patients appointment to remind them of their appointment time and date and we are also trialing text message reminders.

“We would urge patients to do their bit and contact the hospital as soon as possible if they cannot attend their appointment. We will always do our best to make sure each cancelled appointment is offered to another patient.

"It costs the NHS approximately £110 for each non-attended outpatient appointment.”

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The data from NHS England’s hospital activity figures shows across England that the number of patients failing to turn up for appointments and admissions are at their highest levels since records began.

Patients missed six million first and follow-up appointments at hospital trusts across the country in the year to September 2016.

The number of first appointments where patients did not attend rose from 1.78 million in the year to September 2015 to 1.88 million in the following year, the highest number since figures began to be recorded in 2008.

The proportion of first appointments that were missed has also risen from 8.7% in the year to September 2015 to 8.8%. The number of follow-up appointments missed has also risen, from four million to 4.1 million.

At Papworth Hospital, patients did not attend 7.3 per cent of first appointments in the year to September 2016

One in six first appointments at London North West Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (16.2 per cent) were missed by patients, the worst rate in England. It also had the highest rate of subsequent appointments missed at 16.3 per cent.

A Papworth Hospital spokesman said: "Papworth Hospital sees more than 100,000 patients each year, and the demand for our specialist services continues to rise with 6.2 per cent more patients seen in the last year.

"We understand as a national specialist hospital, some of our patients travel across the UK, which can sometimes make appointments difficult to attend.

"As well as trialing a text messaging reminder service, we have introduced innovative ways to help patients manage their on-going care at home, which will reduce missed appointments.

"High quality patient care is our priority, which is why it is so important for patients who know they can’t make their appointment, to get in touch with the hospital as soon as possible, so we can open up this time to other patients who need our care."